Scottsdale, AZ Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Scottsdale's Zoning Ordinance defines lot coverage as "the land covered by building(s) on a site," described as a percentage of net lot area covered by the floor area of the first floor of the building(s) (Sec. 3, Definitions, "Lot coverage"). The operative numeric limit for accessory structures sits in Sec. 200, Additional Area Regulations. Subsection A applies only to residential districts and does not cover Accessory Dwelling Units. It bars any accessory building or structure from being constructed on a lot until the main single-family dwelling's construction has commenced, and bars issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for the accessory structure until one has issued for the main dwelling.

2, titled "Lot Coverage," sets the actual cap: accessory buildings or structures built in a rear yard cannot occupy more than thirty percent (30%) of that rear yard, calculated cumulatively across all accessory structures on the lot. The code carves out one numeric exception: in the Multiple-family Residential (R-5) zoning district, where the lot is used for multiple-family dwelling units, the cumulative lot coverage of accessory buildings or structures may reach up to seventy-five percent (75%) of the rear yard. Property owners in the Single-family Residential (R1-7) district face additional placement rules layered on top of the coverage cap under Sec.

3: no accessory structure in a required front or side yard, a 2-foot minimum setback to the rear or side lot line once behind the main dwelling's rear plane, and a 15-foot setback from the centerline of an alley for a garage or carport with alley access. Structures over 12 feet tall in that rear-yard buffer zone must step back an additional foot for each foot of height above 12 feet. The Development Review Board reviews plans for compliance with these standards under Sec. 300 and Sec. 908, and enforcement runs through the Zoning Administrator's ordinary zoning compliance process.